


How (Not) to Lay Low at Stark Industries

by GoingNova



Series: Interning at Stark Industries [1]
Category: Fantastic Four, Spider-Man - All Media Types, Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017)
Genre: Awesome Pepper Potts, But also, LOTS of johnny being a treasure bc i love him, M/M, Parent Tony Stark, Peter Parker Needs a Hug, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Precious Peter Parker, Probably Fake Science, Sassy Peter Parker, Sensory Overload, Trans Peter Parker, and gets one!, everyone is alive dw that's just to give a time frame, may the fourth be with you (i say in june), not explicitly stated but my peter is always trans, they're juniors now, very little spideytorch snark since its a field trip but
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-24
Updated: 2018-06-24
Packaged: 2019-05-27 18:34:45
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,627
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15030773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GoingNova/pseuds/GoingNova
Summary: Peter just wanted to keep a low profile during the decathlon team's field trip to Stark Industries. But the universe, it seems, has it out for him.As usual.obligatory SI field trip fic combined with my own desperate need for more spideytorch





	How (Not) to Lay Low at Stark Industries

**Author's Note:**

> "just 2-3k" i said. "no problem" i said. 
> 
> 8.6k later here we are

“Remember, you’re representing Midtown while you’re here! I hope I don’t have to remind you all to be on your best behavior.” Mr. Harrington doesn’t seem worried, in that overly optimistic way teachers can be when they know they’ve just asked for the impossible.

“Which means no disappearing,  _ Parker. _ ” Flash says from the seat behind Peter. The rest of the team laughs good-naturedly; Peter’s gotten better about that sort of thing since the homecoming disaster last year, and now it’s more a running joke than an actual annoyance.

Well, except for Flash, but these days Peter just kind of tunes him out. After the Snap, being brought back to life, and helping the Avengers with the fallout, Flash’s taunts kind of stopped mattering to him as much.  

Peter scrolls idly through his conversation with Johnny last night as he gets off the bus. He’s sure that once he gets a second cup of coffee in him, his boyfriend is going to be blowing up his phone all day; the Four are having some logistical meeting with government higher-ups and Johnny is being dragged along. Luckily, today is field trip day so no one will care too much if Peter’s on his phone.

Ned snorts as they walk off the bus. “At least he’ll behave himself when the teacher’s watching, so there’s that.”

It takes everything Peter has in him not to agree out loud, because Ned’s right but their classmates are all within earshot. Peter’s trying his hardest not to draw attention to himself. He’s already resigned himself to a day of heckling about his “fake” (completely real, now; it’s even on paper and everything!) internship with Mr. Stark, from Flash and, to a lesser extent, everyone else.

Well, a few hours at most actually, until someone inevitably recognizes Peter and proves that he does, in fact, work here.

But until that time, Peter would very much like to stay as far out of his classmates’ way as possible, universe, please and thank you. Having a spotlight is  _ not _ his thing.

Plus, he’s actually really interested in this tour! Being an intern with Mr. Stark (and occasionally Ms. Potts, if Mr. Stark thinks she can use the help) is great, but he’s never gotten to see the tourist-y parts of the SI headquarters. Even when the tour guide-- if memory serves, her name is Ms. Kendall, but Peter doesn’t spend too much time with the tour guides --hands out the itinerary, Peter only vaguely remembers most of the labs they’re going to. All low level stuff, test labs, storage-labs-that-aren’t-really-meant-to-be-storage-labs-but-definitely-are-storage-labs, things most people would have access to and therefore, labs that have never even been a blip on Mr. Stark’s radar. Consequently, they’ve never been a blip on Peter’s either.

Midtown’s decathlon team won regionals this year, thanks to MJ’s spartan practice sessions, and first prize was a team trip to SI. MJ isn’t too happy about losing a training day to “support our capitalist overlords,” but everyone else is just as excited as Peter, or even more so.

“Alright everyone!” Ms. Kendall says, clapping her hands once to get their attention. “I’d like you to line up so we can get your badges for you.”

Did he say a few hours? He meant a few minutes, because, like an idiot, Peter had forgotten to account for FRIDAY. FRIDAY, who will definitely announce Peter and might possibly announce Ned as soon as the group gets put through security. Not the worst thing in the world, but... Oops.

They’re falling in line when Peter’s phone buzzes and his Starkwatch beeps quietly. Predictably, it’s Johnny.

_ Johnny <3: pete save me i beg u _

Before he even finishes reading it, his phone buzzes again. And again. His watch beeps twice.

_ Johnny <3: this is so boringgggggggg _

_ im not even 18 i cant sign the accords y am i here _

_ Me: moral support for the adults??? ig??? _

“Tell him I said hi!” Ned whispers to Peter when he sees who he’s texting. “Unless that’s too weird. I should be used to him but I still don’t want to bug the  _ Human Torch, _ you know?”

_ Me: also ned says hi!!!!! _

_ Johnny <3: hi ned! _

_ patrol after school? _

_ Me: yes pls this is gonna be a Day(tm) _

“I really don’t,” Peter says out loud. It’s true; he spends a lot of his time bothering the Human Torch, both in and out of costume. Plus Johnny’s always the one who starts it. Usually. Fifty-fifty. “But he says hi back. You coming over Friday night?”

Ned looks at him, a little confused. “But isn’t Friday date night?”

True but irrelevant, at least this week. May fourth waits for no man, even men who light on fire and stick to walls. “Johnny can come too, I know he’s got no plans. Come on, man, it’s Star Wars Day. It’s tradition! MJ came last year and we didn’t cancel for her!”

“But MJ isn’t--”  _ Isn’t your boyfriend. _ Peter sighs, because now is not the time for them to have the  _ no-my-boyfriend-isn’t-a-replacement-for-you-yes-you’re-still-my-best-friend _ conversation.

He realigns his thoughts to the current crisis, which is that  _ Ned  _ is trying to bail on  _ him _ for a change. “He doesn’t have to come if you don’t want him, he’ll get it. But we’re not cancelling Star Wars Day because of  _ Johnny _ . Saturday can be date night or something. May fourth is our thing, man.”

“If you’re sure,” Ned says. He definitely looks less concerned so Peter figures he must have said something right.

Ms. Kendall reaches their place in line a minute later and pins a personalized ID badge to Ned’s shirt and looks at Peter curiously when she can’t find his in the stack. Peter just pulls up his ID on his Starkwatch.

“Oh,  _ that’s _ why I recognized you,” she realizes, patting his shoulder with a smile. “I’ve seen you running around once or twice when we do private tours of the upper floors.”

“Yeah, I always want to say hi but I’m usually running for a reason,” Peter says, rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. He’s also usually in quite a mood if he’s running around on the lower levels, because it means he’s cleaning up someone else’s mess.

Ms. Kendall just laughs, like that’s exactly what she expected to hear, and moves to the front to lead them inside the building, heading for the guest security line. “Now, as I’m sure you all know, Stark Industries has been at the forefront of science and technology for the better part of a decade, since its shift away from weapons manufacturing…”

The lobby is bustling, as usual, with people rushing around to one thing or another. Scientists and interns alike hustle to their labs with coffee orders, businessmen and women walk briskly to whatever conference room they’re due at, even the janitor is moving faster than the average janitor. There’s something about SI that makes people want to make the most of their time.

“--get started once we get through security and the introduction exhibit, then we’ll head to Lab Six,” Ms. Kendall says, sounding excited.

Abe raises his hand. “Why is there a different security checkpoint for employees?”

“Oh, several reasons,” Ms. Kendall says with a smile. “The biggest is making sure that projects being moved to and from the building haven’t been tampered with. If they’re on a project, employees are required to use the designated entrance.” Peter winces, but Ms. Kendall just glances meaningfully at him and then the employee check point.

Well, there goes the idea of keeping his head down. At least in the figurative sense, since he’s totally staring at the floor until they’re past the checkpoint, just watch him, universe.

“Be right back, man,” he mutters to Ned, walking to the other line and trying to be as inconspicuous as possible. His enhanced hearing picks up Flash’s snide comment about Peter being desperate for attention by going this far for a stupid lie.

There are several employees and only one scanner, so his class is through the checkpoint almost a full minute before it’s his turn.

Peter hears Ms. Kendall talking to the class to pass the time. “Clearance is coded by letter Alpha, Beta, or Omega. There are five levels of Alpha clearance and ten levels of Beta clearance. Every Stark Industries employee, including janitors, has at least Beta One clearance. Of all six hundred thousand SI employees, only twenty three have Alpha clearance and nine of those are the original Avengers. As FRIDAY said when you went through the checkpoint, as guests, you have Omega clearance.”

“Please open your Stark-issue identification document,” FRIDAY says to the woman in front of him.

She does, and FRIDAY reads it out, loud enough for the guard and Peter’s class to hear, as it always does. “Analise Weber, Beta Level Six. No project materials found. You may proceed, Analise.”

The woman in front of Peter moves out of the scanning area, and it’s his turn. Once Ms. Kendall finishes her explanation, the class is quiet enough to clearly hear FRIDAY’S “Peter Parker, Alpha Level Three. Project materials in your backpack include three new prototypes, one returning prototype, and two Mark III projects scheduled for field testing for Project Filigree and the blueprints requested by the Boss for Project Nova. All authorized. Welcome back, Peter. Shall I alert Mr.--”

“Don’t bother Mr. Stark, Fri, it’s just a school trip,” Peter says hurriedly, all too aware of the stunned looks on everyone’s face. Except Ned, because Ned knows he’s Spiderman, and MJ, because Peter’s mostly sure that she’s figured out he’s Spiderman.

“Alright, I won't alert Boss that you're in the building. Enjoy your tour, Peter.”

It’s a nice sentiment, and he knows FRIDAY means it, inasmuch as it can mean anything as an AI. But there was almost no chance he’d be able to enjoy the tour now that everyone on the tour is going to be distracted. Why hadn’t he just left the prototype webshooters at home?

“Dude, why didn't you tell me you had the same security clearance as the Avengers?” Ned whispers excitedly.

“I didn't know! They aren't around SI much, I usually just see them at the compound.” And he's only ever at the compound for training a few times a month. Peter is pretty sure they like him. Probably. Natasha made him pancakes once.

“Well you might want to come up with a reason,” Ned says, glancing at their less than subtle classmates. “I don’t think I’m the only one who wants to know.”

Peter just groans.

Ned pats him on the shoulder sympathetically as Ms. Kendall leads them to the introductory exhibit, which helps a little. Peter’s phone buzzes again, which also helps.

_ Johnny <3: think the meetings almost over _

_ theyre talkin about signing the thing today _

_ after doing this like 6 times i hope they do _

_ THEY DID HALLELUJAH I DONT HAVE TO SIT THROUGH THIS BS AGAIN _

_ well _

_ until im 18 but whateve _

_ *whatever _

It’s a walkthrough exhibit, so they’re all moving at their own pace, each student gravitating toward whatever they find interesting. Most of them start at the Mark I/Afghanistan exhibit, but Peter gives that one a wide berth. He only knows a little bit more about that than the general public, but imagining Mr. Stark going through so much is one of his least favorite activities.

Peter drags Ned and MJ to the arc reactor exhibit so he and Ned can geek out and MJ can make fun of them. It’s an odd relationship, but it works and Peter’s reasonably sure she doesn’t mean it  _ every _ time she insults them now, so. Progress.

Buzz.

_ Johnny <3: peeeeeeeeete _

_ pay attention to meeeeee _

_ u kno when i say “almost done” i mean “the actual meeting part is almost over but then reed is gonna get caught up with sciencey talk and i’ll have nothing to do for hoursssss” _

_ talk to meeee _

_ peteyyyyyy i lov u _

_ love me back _

_ acknowledge me dammit _

_ Me: Read - 9:06 AM _

_ Johnny <3: r00d _

_ Me: ¯\\_(ʘ‿ _ _ ʘ _ _ )_/¯ _

_ Johnny <3: holY HELL pls never send me that again i just had a heart attack _

_ Me: /¯/¯/¯/¯\\_(ʘ‿ _ _ ʘ _ _ )_/ _ _ ¯ _ _ \ _ _ ¯ _ _ \ _ _ ¯ _ _ \ _ _ ¯ _ _ \ _

_ Johnny: i want a divorce _

Peter snorts and sends Johnny a heart emoji before turning his attention back to the arc reactor model in front of him.

Lab Six, Peter finds out as the tour moves on, is awesome in that its it's a storage lab filled with interactive prototypes and parts bins. Basic stuff, mostly, but things they're allowed to mess with. Peter finds a telescope and upgrades it as much as he can within their allotted fifteen minutes, because why the heck not?

MJ and Ned have set up shop next to him with last year's model of Starkphone. MJ is watching them tinker and occasionally contributing her own input. Flash is messing with a smaller version of DUM-E and testing its capabilities.

They don't spend too much time there, which Peter would be kind of disappointed about if he didn't know how much other stuff they're going to see today. It’s not like he can’t come back whenever he wants, and he can probably get Ned into some of the even cooler labs if he asks Mr. Stark really nicely.

The next stop on the tour is some kind of corporate thing, and there’s going to be a presentation from some interns in the marketing department.

On their way to the conference room, Ms. Kendall talks about the history of the building and a few awards that Mr. Stark has won. Peter wonders, idly, how many of those awards Mr. Stark is even aware of.

“Oh, what an amazing surprise! It seems that our company CEO is on site today,” Ms. Kendall says, sounding excited again.

The class erupts into murmurs of awe and Ms. Potts looks over from where she’s making a cup of coffee. She smiles pleasantly at the group and walks over once she catches Peter’s eye.

“Hello Midtown decathlon team. I didn’t know the tour was today, Peter.”

Peter grins at her widely. “Yeah, it was. It’s really cool seeing this side of the company!”

“I’m sure. You spend so much time holed up in your lab that the rest of us never see you.” Ms. Potts says. She turns to Mr. Harrington and Ms. Kendall. “I'm sure you're on a tight schedule, but would you mind if I walked with you wherever you're going? I have a few free minutes.”

Ms. Kendall seems a little taken off guard, but nods her agreement before continuing on about some of the history of SI as she's resumes walking. Mr. Harrington appears to be in shock. Good to know, Peter thinks, that even the adults didn't really believe him. Stings a little, but oh well.

Ms. Potts seems content to walk with Peter, Ned, and MJ and just listen to the tour.

For a moment, MJ looks the tiniest bit star struck. But she hides it well, to her credit, and holds out her hand.

“It's a huge honor to meet you, Ms. Potts. My name is Michelle Jones.”

Ms. Potts smiles at her and shakes her hand. “A pleasure. I've heard a lot about you, Michelle.”

“Good things, I hope.” MJ delicately raises a single eyebrow in a way that makes Peter hope beyond all hope that he hasn't said anything to Ms. Potts that doesn't make MJ sound like an angel.

“Of course,” Ms. Potts says, laughing. “And I looked into you a bit myself too. You have quite an impressive resume for someone your age. One of the most impressive I've seen. If you're ever interested in interning in any department at SI, please let me know. We'd be lucky to have you.”

MJ doesn't look entirely sold. “Are you offering me an internship or…” She glances meaningfully at Peter. “An  _ internship? _ Because that whole thing isn't really my style, sorry.”

That seems to throw Ms. Potts for a loop but she recovers quickly with a wry grin. “It's not mine either, don't worry. And neither is nepotism, in case you were concerned. I only hire the best and brightest. This isn't because you're friends with Peter.”

She says that last bit loud enough for the curious eavesdroppers to hear. It's the first time Peter has ever seen MJ speechless, so he swoops in.

“That's so awesome of you, Ms. Potts! I think you might have broken her though.” He isn't particularly worried that MJ knows about Spiderman; she's too smart not to have put the pieces together.

Ms. Potts just smiles at him like she knows something he doesn't, before her attention is called elsewhere.

“Ms. Potts, has this place ever been hacked?” Flash asks.

“Never,” she says immediately. “Not our overall system, unless it was specifically requested by To-- Mr. Stark in order to test and strengthen security. FRIDAY lets members of Alpha clearance know whenever there's an attempt, and we take care of it.”

Peter has to physically stop himself from putting his face in his hands, because he knows where this is going.

Flash crosses his arms and looks directly at Peter. “What would happen if someone managed it though? Like, to give himself higher clearance or something?”

“Oh, my-- Flash, I didn't  _ hack _ the system for my clearance. Come on man.” Peter isn't even mad. It's such a  _ reach _ , even for Flash, that it's exasperating, mostly.

Ms. Potts looks insulted on his behalf though, which quickly morphs into the polite mask that he's seen her use to hide her irritation. “To answer your question, if someone managed to hack into our system for a reason like that, their employment would be terminated and we would take legal action immediately.”

Flash looks properly terrified at the ice in her voice, but Ms. Potts isn't done. “ _ However _ , if you did mean to implicate Peter, it would be good for you to know that his clearance was given to him by Tony Stark personally so that he can assist Mr. Stark with any and all projects he's needed on.”

Peter's enhanced hearing picks up a couple of his teammates’ quiet snickers-- they all love it when Flash gets put in his place. But Peter only flushes and checks his phone so that none of them try to make eye contact with him.

_ Johnny <3: there doin the thing i TOLD u theyd do the thing _

_ blah blah blah science science science _

_ Me: poor bb _

His phone immediately buzzes.

_ Johnny <3: i AM _

_ pity me babe _

_ Me: lol nah _

They're only walking for a few more minutes. Ms. Potts puts a hand on his shoulder once they reach the conference room and smiles. “Have fun on the rest of your tour, Peter. And drop by the penthouse this weekend, will you? Ned and Michelle are invited too. We need to celebrate your team's win.”

He's not surprised, per say, but to hear Ms. Potts offering it as opposed to Mr. Stark is… different. Something tells him it has to do with Flash, who's still obviously eavesdropping.

“Sure, sounds like fun Ms. Potts,” he says, finally meeting her eyes.

“I should go make sure Tony doesn't get distracted, we have a board meeting in twenty minutes and something tells me he's going to stall. But given what just happened, I'm assigning you a bodyguard for the rest of your trip.”

Peter's eyes feel like they're about to pop out of his skull. “Ms. Potts, that's not necessary--"

“I've already texted him. Don’t worry, it's no one  _ too _ embarrassing. You might even be happy to see him.” She winks at him conspiratorially and Peter kind of wants to melt into the floor. He's  _ Spiderman _ , he doesn't need a bodyguard. “I'll see you this weekend, Peter.”

“See you,” he says as she leaves, wishing he could go with her.

Once she's down the hall, he sighs and enters the conference room. Everyone is still getting settled, bags moving and papers rustling as the presenters get things set up and the team prepares to take notes.

It's an interesting presentation, he'll admit. Even as Midtown students, they're not in the right year to take economics classes, much less marketing ones. The marketing interns are just as passionate as the R&D ones Peter has interacted with from time to time, and they all seem to really enjoy what they do.

MJ and Abe have enough questions to take up the entire Q&A segment of the presentation, but they ask awesome questions so it balances out. Ms. Kendall manages to herd the group out of the room without too much trouble, and they head deeper into the building.

Everyone, Ms. Kendall included, is making a valiant effort to pretend they're not watching Peter, probably to see if he recognizes anyone else he wouldn't have even dreamed of knowing as a freshman three years ago. On top of the bright lights and intense, unending noise surrounding them, its it's just a little bit too much. He can handle it, has handled worse, but it's not as much fun as it was earlier. Especially since he can  _ feel _ the headache that's coming on.

According to the itinerary, their next stop is Lab Thirteen, or at least its observation deck. If he remembers right, Lab Thirteen is reserved for low-clearance astrophysicists and their projects. Most of those explode (whether they’re supposed to or not) so it doesn't surprise Peter that it's on the tour list.

“Would you happen to know which one of these people is… Pablo Packer?” A voice whispers, way too close to Peter's ear.

He flinches in surprise, elbowing the person in the stomach.

_ “Oof,”  _ Johnny Storm says, hand over what's almost definitely a new bruise. “Not the hello I was hoping for, Pete.”

Peter panics. Just a little bit. Enough that Johnny’s probably gonna tease him later. “Oh no, I didn't mean to-- You surprised me!”

Johnny just smiles ruefully. “Now I remember why I don't do that very often.”

Now that he knows he didn't accidentally rupture any of his boyfriend's internal organs with his momentary lapse in control, he flicks him directly in the forehead. “Exactly. What are you even doing here?”

He wiggles his cell phone in front of Peter's face and sticks his tongue out. “Pepper sent me to be your bodyguard. Also, FRIDAY told me you were here.”

“Holy shit. That's Johnny Storm,” Flash breathes from somewhere on the right.

Peter ignores him.  _ You might even be happy to see him, _ Ms. Potts had said. Sneaky. Not wrong, it's a heck of a surprise and Peter is  _ really _ happy to see him, but that was sneaky. “That's not my question and you know it, Hot Head.”

“I told you,” Johnny shrugs, hands in his pockets. “The Four had a meeting about the New Accords and now Reed and Sue are nerding out with Tony over some new research from Wakanda. FRIDAY told me you were here, and then I got a text from Pepper, so now I’m here. Ta-da!” Jazz hands. Of course he does jazz hands, because he’s Johnny and he’s extra and Peter only sometimes questions why this is the person his heart is set on.

“Parker. You know  _ Johnny Storm? _ ” Flash is speaking at normal volume, not yelling by a long shot, but he may as well be for all the good it does Peter’s ears and impending headache.

“Really.” Peter looks at him, deadpan. “Of everything that’s happened today,  _ this _ is what surprises you?”

He’s gaping like a fish. “I’m-- It’s just.  _ You know Johnny Storm? _ ”

“Intimately.” Johnny smirks and snakes his arm around Peter’s waist, leaning his head on his shoulder.

Peter doesn’t think the blood has ever drained from Flash’s face faster, and rolls his eyes. “Johnny come  _ on. _ ”

Embarrassment definitely has nothing to do with the slight blush on his face. They aren’t… there yet, in their relationship, which is fine by them both, but Johnny’s reputation means that no one is ever going to believe Peter if he says so. Which. Isn’t the worst thing but... is a little embarrassing. There. He said it.

Something in the lab explodes loudly enough to shake the window of the observation deck, and Peter flinches back, closing his eyes at the sudden light and noise. He runs into Johnny, but not hard enough to throw off either of their balance.

“If you wanted a hug you just had to ask,” Johnny teases, but it’s quiet enough that no one else would be able to hear him, and his grip on Peter’s waist is light enough not to be too much. That explosion would have been loud to Peter on a  _ regular _ day, so he’s probably trying to be considerate.

The rest of the Lab Thirteen visit is relatively uneventful. It’s mostly the scientists trying to fix their respective projects and clean up after the explosion and Peter’s teammates ogling his boyfriend.

Ms. Kendall doesn’t even mention Johnny’s sudden arrival. Neither does Mr. Harrington. Peter gets the sense that they’ve both hit their threshold of weird for the day. They don’t say anything when he sticks around, either.

Ned and Johnny talk quietly as they move through the halls, and Peter is ecstatic when Ned invites him to Star Wars night on Friday. Johnny looks genuinely surprised to be invited. Peter knows he’d been planning on a lazy night in, since date night was cancelled. Best of both worlds.

Lunch is next, which is a small mercy. Everything is still too much, even the taste of his sandwich, but Peter can handle it if he tricks himself into thinking it’s a normal school day and Johnny just happened to be here. And he tries to ignore the curious stares of his teammates, and Flash trying to suck up to him suddenly.

...No, really, it's bearable, he can handle it, but the incessant dull ache in his head is definitely beginning to test that claim.

“You look like crap, Parker.” MJ glances up at him from her sketchbook, having finished her food a while ago. “This is some of my finest work.”

“Normally I’d take offense to that on your behalf, but she’s right,” Johnny says, voice still lowered to a tolerable level in the noise of the cafeteria. “You work here, Pete. It can’t always be this bad.”

Yes and no, he thinks. SI headquarters is loud and bright and overstimulating even for some people who  _ don’t _ have enhanced senses. When Peter started working here though, Mr. Stark had accounted for that and given him a pair of custom earplugs with adjustable noise cancellation, and glasses that can adjust light input. Not that they do a lot of good sitting in his desk drawer at home, where he left them.

“I didn’t think about bringing my stuff,” he mutters. “Stupid. But I’m fine.”

“You’re doing the thing again.” Ned points at him sternly with a potato chip. “You gotta stop doing the thing.”

“It’s kind of an annoying thing,” Johnny agrees, a slight smirk on his face. “I could shoot Tony a text and tell him you’re doing the thing.”

Peter glares at him. “You wouldn’t.”

“Ooh, or Sue. You think  _ she’d  _ be happy that you’re doing the thing?”

He pulls out his phone. Peter’s hand darts out to grab it-- Sue Storm is, like Aunt May, a force of nature that Peter doesn’t even want to  _ think _ about when she’s in Mama Bear Mode --but Johnny moves it out of reach. “Just admit that you’re doing the thing and I won’t do it.”

“I’m  _ not  _ doing the thing--” At the glare the three of them aim at him, he huffs. “Fine. My head feels like it’s about to explode. Happy now?”

Ned shakes his head. “No point doing the thing if we can already tell, man. Besides, don’t you have spares in your lab?”

“No point doing it at  _ all, _ ” Johnny corrects, putting his phone away. “It’s stupid.  _ Especially _ if you have spares. Just go get them.”

“I see your point and I raise you: no.”

They’re leaving soon anyway, and it may have been a joke before the trip but the last time Peter disappeared on a school trip was last year on the way to the MOMA, and then he’d gone to space and  _ died  _ and the world had ended.

Johnny kind of… doesn’t actually know that, so he just gives him an unimpressed look and shakes his head. “If it gets worse I’m pulling rank on you as your designated bodyguard and getting you out of there.”

“I outrank  _ you _ , hot stuff,” Peter fires back with a grin that only hurts a little. “You’re only Alpha Level Two. Besides, you know you’re not really my bodyguard.”

People are wrapping up, throwing away trash and putting leftovers back in their bags. Looks like lunch is over. If he remembers right, there’s only one more thing planned, some kind of lab demonstration or something.

Ms. Kendall manages to get everyone rounded up in almost record time, which makes Peter wonder if lunch ran long or if it’s just the second wind that tends to come after lunch. “Alright, Midtown! That’s the end of the basic tour, but we’ve put together a special event just for your school in the R&D wing, to congratulate the winners of the regional championships. Right this way.”

That’s less than ideal, Peter thinks to himself. R&D is fairly loud by nature, loud enough to warrant noise-dampening panels on the walls to begin with, and now both of his best friends  _ and _ his boyfriend are looking for any sign that his headache is getting worse. But at least he won’t have to pay too much attention; there’s a good chance that he’s designed or at least advised on half the things they’re going to see, so.

Silver linings.

The introductory lectures they’re forced to sit through aren’t as bad as they could be. There aren’t any microphones, so Peter takes the win where he can get it. Sharon and Bryce are presenting, and they smile at him in amusement whenever he makes eye contact. He’s never going to hear the end of this, he’s sure.

“--which is basically a fancy way of saying stay behind the white lines on the floor,” Bryce says, smiling.

“We’ve had a few issues with  _ certain _ prototype polymers shorting out the lab systems, so we’re also going to have to ask you all to keep your phones turned off as a precaution.” Sharon winks at Peter, who crosses his arms and definitely doesn’t pout.

“Test out the tensile strength of the taser webs in the lab  _ one time _ and you never hear the end of it, I’m telling you,” he mutters to himself. Ned laughs and Johnny rolls his eyes with a grin. He’s used to experiments leading to worse things than a power outage, living with Reed.

To be fair though, everything in R&D is backed up every twelve minutes, so no real harm was done. The interns just like to tease him about it sometimes.

He was right, he realizes as they get to the first demonstration. He’s had a hand in pretty much all of the projects they have clearance to see: according to Bryce they’re Beta Level Four and below. All stuff above the high school level, but nothing even close to what’s even a single floor above them.

“As you know, the arc reactor designed by Tony Stark powers the Tower and provides it with a sustainable, long-term energy source,” Sharon is saying. “But it’s an incredibly advanced piece of equipment. And because it’s so huge and complicated, when Mr. Stark sold the Tower a few years ago, the other company practically threw it back at him. It’s an insurance nightmare.”

Bryce nods. “But it’s a massive step forward in sustainable energy, or it will be, at least. Once the higher ups figure out a way to make it more simple and compact. For now, we’re working on cleaner, more sustainable alternatives like this car battery.”

Johnny perks up a little at the mention of new car parts. They stay at this station for about twenty minutes, watching videos and comparisons of the new battery versus the highest end Tesla ones. They’re quiet, luckily, since even the electric cars on the market now don’t make much noise.

“Do the two of you need a moment alone?” Peter teases, wiping imaginary drool off Johnny’s chin.

Johnny gives him The Eyes, the ones he reserves for special occasions when he’s about to ask the impossible. “I need one. Two. I  _ need _ them, Pete, you don’t understand.”

He doesn’t, but that’s fine. Johnny doesn’t understand Peter’s love of all things physics either.

“Good thing they’re going on the market next year then,” he says, deadpan.

“You  _ built _ them,” Johnny hisses under his breath, almost too low for average human ears. Technically Peter only designed the Mark I blueprints before Mr. Stark sent it down to the interns, but semantics. “I’ll do anything.”

“Hm.” Peter considers for a second. “I want my sweatpants back.”

Johnny looks like he’s fighting a physical battle with his own brain for a few moments before coming to terms with the fact that the tacky, bright pink Hello Kitty sweats that he “rescued” Peter from are going to be back in his regular wardrobe.

“God, those things are horrible. Deal. But I’m never going out in public with you if you’re wearing them.”

The next two prototype presentations go without incident; nothing is being blown up intentionally, and everything they’re seeing has already been tested to death. None of them are too flashy either, and Peter thanks whatever’s out there that his headache hasn’t gotten any worse.

Then then they come to a blank holotable, which can’t mean anything good. Both Bryce and Sharon have devilish grins on their faces.

“This is a particularly special part of the tour, set up by Mr. Tony Stark himself,” Sharon says, and Peter’s stomach plummets.

Bryce pulls up a hologram of Mr. Stark and plays the recording.  _ “Hey small children of Midtown, congrats on your win. Never doubted you for a second, glad you’re here, all that. You know the schtick by now, I’m sure you’ve heard it nine times today. Anyway, you guys are just about the luckiest tour group in the history of this company, getting to see this place, so I hope you’re enjoying it. I figured, you have one of my top employees on your team, and his aunt has signed about a million NDA’s so he can’t tell you about any of it. What a waste, right? So I’ve ripped up a couple. Every single project you’ve seen in this tour of the R&D department would have been impossible without Peter. That’s Parker, in case any of you are wondering. Go on, you can applaud.” _

No one applauds except Bryce and Sharon, who already knew this. Everyone is staring at him and Peter wants to shrivel up and hide for eternity. Even Mr. Harrington is looking at him in awe. Jonny puts a soothing hand on the back of his neck, which helps a very, very little bit.

_ “But wait, there’s more.” _ Hologram-Mr.-Stark turns off-camera.  _ “Alright Rhodey I said it, you owe me lasagna. Ahem.” _ He turns back to the camera.  _ “But he does have his own more high profile projects, supervised by me. And he’s gonna tell you about one of them right now, because I’ll be honest kid, you’re a whiz with a screwdriver, but your presentation skills could use some work. Oh and, before I forget. I’ll be on a plane by the time you see this so have Karen send me those repulsor blueprints, alright? Alright. Good talk. Now be free, show your small minded peers your addition to the Hulkbuster. See you this weekend, kid.” _

Peter is pretty sure he’s been welded to the floor, and only wishes that the welder would have just finished the job and melted him completely. Maybe if he asks  _ really _ nicely Johnny will flame on and--

“You don’t have to do it, Peter,” Bryce says, taking pity on him. “It  _ is _ kind of a lot to ask. We won’t tell Mr. Stark.”

That snaps him out of it. “It’s fine. He’s definitely going to watch the footage later,” he manages in a small voice before syncing his Starkphone to the holotable. “If he isn’t watching it right now.”

Except that it’s already done. Peter’s eyes narrow as he examines the other side of the holotable only to find a collection--  _ his _ collection --of Avengers stickers peering back at him. He doesn’t  _ actually _ groan out loud, but it’s a near thing.

“He’s so extra,” he mutters, but he’s sure everyone hears him. “There are plenty of perfectly fine holotables here, he didn’t need to have mine moved.”

“Whoa, you have a personal one of these things?” Charles asks, wide-eyed.

Peter is pretty much at max capacity for embarrassment, so he just sighs as he signs in on the blue holographic screen. “Yep. I was more comfortable with paper but Mr. Stark refused to let that continue when I got my lab.”

“New location detected. Voice activation required.” Karen’s smooth voice comes out of the speakers embedded in the table.

“Peter Parker.”

“Accepted. Welcome back, Peter. Your pulse is elevated, would you like to go through some breathing exercises?”

“No, but thanks anyway Karen. Do me a favor and pull up all files pertaining to Project Spearmint?” He can feel everyone’s eyes on him, but if he stares at the holoscreen he can pretend he doesn’t.

The drawer under the table opens when he scans his thumb, revealing his glasses and the tiny ear plugs. He puts them on and everything in the room finally dulls to a tolerable level. His teammates are probably a little confused, since it’s been so long since he wore glasses, but that’s not his problem. At least the ear plugs are small enough to be nearly invisible. 

He does catch Cindy’s mournful  _ oh no, he’s hot, _ which… nope. Does not compute. He’s ignoring it.

“You have your own AI and you use it for breathing exercises?” Flash asks, skeptical. “What a waste. Why would you even need those?”

Johnny looks like he’s about to go off, but Peter beats him to it. He just wants this day to end. “My mentor is a superhero. My  _ boyfriend  _ is a superhero. Both of them almost die regularly. A year ago, I actually  _ did  _ die. I have PTSD and anxiety, and a few other issues I don’t feel like going into. Do you want me to keep going, Flash? Or do you want to quit while you’re behind and let me have my breathing exercises?”

_ “There _ he is,” Bryce says to Sharon under his breath, but it carries well over the relative quiet.

Sharon grins. “That’s the Pete we know and love. Take no prisoners, kiddo.”

To be fair, the interns only ever really see him when he finishes work on a project he’s passing off to them, so he’s usually running on about an hour of sleep and enough energy drinks to kill a normal human. So their image of him is slightly distorted, probably.

Ned whistles, shocked and impressed. MJ looks uncharacteristically like she’s holding back a laugh. Flash huffs and says nothing.

“Are you really not going to say anything?” Johnny is, surprisingly enough, addressing Mr. Harrington, who fumbles with his glasses.

“I didn’t-- I mean-- Ahem.” He turns to Flash. “I’ll be discussing today with your parents, Mr. Thompson. Your behavior has been subpar to say the least.”

Peter snorts quietly, which brings the attention back to him. Darn. He clears his throat. “So anyway, I guess… I’m supposed to show you this?”

He pulls up the file for the 3D blueprint, and uses his fingertips to zoom in so everyone has a clear view. “This is a cryocube. Like Mr. Stark said, we’re designing it for the Hulkbuster armor, which is designed… to stop the Hulk. Yeah.”

Only the fact that he’s talking very casually about an Avenger keeps people from laughing at him, he’s pretty sure. Johnny definitely has his phone out to record Peter's embarrassment, which is unfortunate since it means Peter is going to have to destroy it during patrol tonight. Tragic.

“The cryocube is one of those things that’s a simple concept that’s really difficult to materialize. Basically, it’s a vibranium and polycarbonate cube filled with nitrogen that’s been cooled to become a Bose-Einstein condensate.”

Every eye in the room is bugged out; despite what he said, Peter knows it’s not actually that easy to conceptualize because how exactly does one cool down liquid nitrogen? With lots of help from Shuri and a bit of luck, apparently.

“Once they’re shot from the Iron Man armor and make contact with a target, the polycarbonate will shatter and release the nitrogen at temperatures which would shatter human skin and in theory, at least slow down a big green rage monster.”

Abe raises his hand as if Peter’s actually his teacher, which is kind of funny. “What do you mean, in theory?”

“Well for one thing, right now we can only get them up to around one and a half cubic centimeters and they should be at least three times that if the big guy is ever going to feel it. But the main thing,” Peter gives him a dry look, “ is that the only way to test if something works on the Hulk is to test it and see if it works on the Hulk. I’m not in any hurry to do that, personally.”

Besides, he actually likes Hulk. More importantly, Hulk likes Peter, and shooting him with an ice weapon is the fastest way to reverse that. The big guy isn’t really so bad if they’re not in the middle of a battle. He even appreciates Peter's witty commentary, which is more than can be said for the rest of the team. Even Mr. Stark has threatened to ground him for his dad jokes a few times.

Only Clint, Thor, and Hulk appreciate him. It's a sad life, but Peter accepts it because his humor is  _ wonderful,  _ thanks.

“What about your AI? Can you tell us about her?” Cindy asks, seeming more interested in that.

“What, Karen? Sure. Introduce yourself, Karen.” Honestly he could go on about Karen all day, but it'll save them all some embarrassment if he lets her speak for herself.

“Certainly, Peter. I am MIRROR, an artificial intelligence program designed by Tony Stark to assist two of Mr. Stark’s most important investments, Spiderman and Peter. My programming closely resembles that of FRIDAY, but the two of us have separate interfaces and Peter has access to part of my code so that he may make adjustments if he wants to. My primary function is monitoring Peter's physical wellbeing. I am compatible with almost any technology and alert his nearest emergency contact if his wellbeing is threatened. I can also offer suggestions for Peter to improve his own well being if it’s not life threatening.”

There's a brief pause. Then, “And yes, Mr. Thompson, that does include breathing exercises.”

Flash turns bright red, but says nothing. It’s not surprising really, what is he supposed to say when an AI calls him out?

“I’m sorry, did she just say  _ Spiderman? _ ” Charles blurts out, sounding shocked.

For a moment Peter panics, but there are enough failsafes in Karen and FRIDAY’s programming that his identity is safe, and nobody in this room who knows would give his identity away. So he just shrugs. “I mean yeah. It’s not like it’s a secret that I know the guy.”

Thanks for that, Ned.

“Peter, anything more regarding Spiderman requires a minimum Alpha Level One clearance,” Karen warns from the holotable speakers.

“Thanks, Karen,” he says. Then he turns to the team and holds up his hands in a  _ what can ya do?  _ gesture. “Sorry. We should probably wrap this anyway, I think there’s another prototype to see before we leave.”

Johnny snorts as the rest of the team groans in frustration. Peter’s just glad he can pass this off to the interns. Bryce and Sharon take over and herd the team to the last prototype seamlessly, but there’s a look in their eyes that they tend to get whenever he’s pitching a new project to them. 

Peter looks at Mr. Harrington and gestures to the holotable. “Can Ned come help me to take this back to my lab? I’d ask Johnny but—”

“Lifetime ban on lab equipment!” Johnny interjects proudly. “Things tend to get broken.”

Mr. Harrington looks… tired. Peter feels vaguely bad about springing everything about today on him, but to be fair, none of it was Peter’s fault. Also, he was the one who chose not to believe Peter in the first place. “We’re loading the buses in ten, please try to be on time boys.”

Ned, as it turns out, is more than happy to help. He’s been begging to see Peter’s lab since he got it a year ago.

“I get to  _ touch _ the holotable? That thing is worth more than  _ me. _ ”

“Ehhh.” He wiggles his hand in a so-so motion and grins. 

He doesn’t actually need Ned’s help getting the table back to the lab, but it would be a bit suspicious for scrawny intern Peter Parker to be moving a heavy, expensive piece of lab equipment on his own. Particularly one that shouldn’t have left its lab in the first place. But it’s as good an excuse as any to give him a quick look at the lab. 

Johnny comes with them, happy enough to use the “bodyguard” farce as an excuse to hang out with them for a few more minutes, and luckily they don’t draw too many curious looks. SI employees see much weirder things on a daily basis than a couple of teenagers and Johnny Storm. On one memorable occasion, Captain America walked in carrying a cat that he swore was the god of thunder himself. That was a long few days for everyone.

The three of them take the elevator to the ninety-first floor and head over to Peter’s lab. It’s not a particularly well trafficked area; most of Peter’s projects are too confidential for anyone to see, so he may as well have the floor to himself sometimes. Mr. Stark and Ms. Potts drop by the most, and Dr. Banner will come in occasionally to say hi (he’s unashamed to admit that he goes into total fanboy mode when that happens because  _ that’s Bruce flipping Banner _ ) and maybe help out with his projects a bit. Johnny is usually busy, but he’s dropped in a few times to either supply Peter with more coffee or to drag him over to the rarely used couch and force him to take a nap. 

“You  _ work  _ here?” Ned breathes, reverent. He looks like he’s trying to take everything in at once without actually moving as Peter puts the table back. “This is the coolest room I have ever been in. Or will ever be in. In my life. I’m so glad I’m friends with you.”

“I know right? You should see  _ Reed’s _ lab. Or Mr. Stark’s, they’re both so much cooler than this.” He’s gushing, he knows, but his headache is ebbing thanks to the sensory deprivation equipment and he’s absolutely buzzing with nerves after that impromptu presentation. “There are like, space things and Asgardian experiments and I think I saw a teleportation prototype once--” 

“Hey Pete? I hate to interrupt when you’re nerding out, it’s much cuter when it’s you and not my siblings, but you’re getting a call.” Johnny flops down on the couch and gestures to the lit up holotable. 

Peter doesn’t even have time to accept it before Mr. Stark’s face pops up on the screen. It looks like he’s still on the plane to wherever he and Ms. Potts are headed. “Oh, there are more of you. Torch, Ted. Hope you’re doing well. Hey, Pete? Your presentation was a complete mess, I have some notes for later. Need a favor before that though.”

“Sure, Mr. Stark. Can I add it to my list and do it when I clock in later? I still have to go back to school.” Peter makes a very conscious effort not to laugh at Ned, who looks just as starstruck as ever even though Mr. Stark is messing up his name for nostalgia at this point. 

“Yeah, ‘fraid not. I’ve already called that decathlon teacher, was it Huntington? You’re done for the day. And it’s  _ Tony  _ kid, we’ve discussed this. By the way Ted, your bus is waiting for you already. And bring that Star Wars box set of yours this weekend, yeah?” Mr. Stark looks at Ned. 

Ned looks like he’s about to pass out, but nods. “Yes, sir.”

“Good. Now get going, before you get in trouble.” 

Ned looks like he’s frozen, so Johnny takes it upon himself to get him moving with a light shove to the shoulder. 

“Oh, r-right. I’ll uh, see you later Peter.” Ned walks out, face vacant. 

Well, at least he’s going the right direction. 

Peter shakes his head fondly and turns back to the holotable. “So what’s going on?”

“Cyber attack. I could handle it but Pepper might actually kill me if I miss this meeting and then she’d never get to marry me, which would be unfortunate. Think you can get the guy on your own? It might take some time.” Mr. Stark doesn’t sound worried, which is… really nice. 

He beams. “I can do it Mr. Stark! Just go do your meeting stuff, don’t worry about me. I can get the guy. Or girl. Or neither or both. Whichever. I’ll get them.”

“Alright kid. Keep me updated.” Mr. Stark snorts. “Not like I’ll have much else to do. Torch, you mind being on Peter Watch?”

“Fine by me,” Johnny says from where he’s sitting upside down on the couch. “I know the drill. Keep him from pulling forty hour days, minimal caffeine, the usual.”

“Got it in one. I’ll leave you to it.” The video feed disappears from the holoscreen when Mr. Stark hangs up. 

Peter glances at Johnny as soon as he’s sure the call is over. “Keep the coffee coming and I’ll have this done by the end of the night.”

“Then  _ I  _ have to deal with a heavily caffeinated spider.” Johnny swings his legs over and hauls his body upright. “Seems like a bad deal.”

Peter hums before settling down in his chair and knowing he’s going to win this battle. “Caffeine crash,” he says simply, pulling up a keyboard on the table and getting to work.

His metabolism being the level it is means that his caffeine crashes are brutal. As long as Peter has nothing pressing to do, he bypasses crankiness entirely and gets hit hard with exhaustion. And a sleepy Peter means a cuddly Peter means a very content Johnny Storm.

Johnny raises an eyebrow thoughtfully. “Spend the night at the Baxter Building and it’s a deal. Sue can take you to school tomorrow.”

“Deal,” Peter says, already losing focus on the conversation in favor of his work. “Karen, do me a favor and text Aunt May. Can I have coffee yet?”

“You’ve been doing this for thirty seconds.”

“Yeah, well,” Peter murmurs, reading through lines of code to find whatever the hacker is attacking. “I’ve had a heck of a day.”

**Author's Note:**

> editing? don't know her


End file.
